1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to helmet systems.
More particularly the invention relates to helmet systems incorporating a display system mounted on the helmet.
2. Description of Related Art
A helmet mounted display system is an arrangement by which a helmet wearer can simultaneously view an outside world scene and a scene produced by a display device, an image of the display device scene being viewed by the helmet wearer superimposed upon his view of the outside world scene through a combiner element. The system is generally so designed such that the helmet wearer can be attentive to both outside world and display device scenes without having to alter his line of sight or refocus his eyes.
The drawback of many previous helmet mounted display systems has been the fact that the implementation of the display system into the helmet system has caused undesirable changes to the helmet system in terms of additional weight, increased physical size, increased cost and complexity of manufacture, significant degradation of the outside world scene and, particular to the common use in helmets worn by pilots of fighter jets, the increased inertia effects of high G upon the helmet system, particularly when subject to windblast under ejection when degradation of aerodynamic performance of the helmet system is also a major drawback.
UK Patent No. 1,533,859 discloses a helmet mounted display system containing several of the above drawbacks. In that system physical space constraints demanded the use of a light refracting and reflecting insert in the helmet visor as the combiner element employed to couple the display device scene with the outside world scene. One undesirable effect of this particular approach is that of outside world scene degradation where discontinuities of the view at the edges of the insert would be apparent. Further the integrity of such a helmet mounted display system in terms of safety is questionable, particularly during the act of ejecting from a fast jet whilst wearing such a helmet display system. Windblast on the unusually shaped visor calls for a strength of the visor and insert combination equal to that of the original visor approved for use in such conditions. This requires large increases in the complexity and, therefore, cost of manufacture of the new visor.
Other design schemes for helmet mounted display systems have avoided the problems associated with using an insert in the helmet visor by depositing a patch of dichroic material onto a specific inner surface area of the visor and using this patch as the combiner element for the mixing of the scenes. However, such an approach does not give the flexibility gained from using an insert in the visor, where the angle and curvature of the reflecting surface can be tailored to suit the needs of the system. An effect of this has been the need to change the position and/or angle of the visor such that the required directional effect of the reflection is achievable; these changes being either a forward movement of the visor away from the helmet wearer's face or both. Both of these changes serve to move the centre of gravity of the visor structure away from the face and so increase the forward moment of the helmet system about its fulcrum which is the helmet wearer's neck, and this calls for counterbalancing at the rear of the helmet when considering high G applications, thus increasing the overall weight of the helmet display system. The forward shift of the visor also causes aerodynamic degration especially under ejection windblast which calls for the need to bridge the clearance created between the new visor position and the helmet shell with a rigid structure so further increasing the forward moment and weight of the system.